This application claims the benefit of the earlier filed International Application No. PCT/SE00/02407, International Filing Date, Dec. 1, 2000, which designated the United States of America, and which international application was published under PCT Article 21(2) in English as WO Publication No. WO 01/39583 A1.
The present invention relates to a slanted connector having first connector means extended in a first direction and second connector means extended in a slanted direction in relation to the first connector means.
It also relates to a method for mounting a slanted connector having first connector means extended in a first direction and second connector means extended in a slanted direction in relation to the first connector means.
In electrical connections and circuits there are sometimes a need for slanted connectors. There are such connectors available today and an example of the construction of such a connector is shown in FIG. 1. This connector comprises contact pins P18, which are slanted a certain angle. This angle is most often 90xc2x0. The bent divides the contact pins P18 into first connector means P20 and second connector means P29. This kind of connectors is very often provided at printed circuits. The second connector means P29 are soldered to a circuit card. In this example the pins forms a four times six matrix. As can be seen from the figure the pins in each row are of different lengths.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,080 describes a press-fit printed circuit board connector, which comprises an insulative body in two parts and a series of right-angle metal pins. The structure of the connector is such that the connector does not require any dedicated tooling for mounting it on a board.
One of the problems with these today available slanted connectors is that the production process requires many different tools and working moments since different bending tools are needed for bending the pins with different lengths. The bending of the pins could also result in cracks in the pins. Another problem is that the different lengths of the pins result in a time shift of the signals to be transferred due to the resistance in the pins. Yet another problem is that the end positions of the slanted pins to be connected to a printed circuit board not are precise. The different lengths of the pins cause an uncertainty in the position of the ends of the pins. This uncertainty makes it hard to perform surface mounting of the connector.
One object of the present invention is to simplify the mounting process of a slanted processor.
Another object of the present invention is to improve the true positions of the pins of a slanted connector to be connected to a printed circuit board.
Yet another object is to get rid of the time shift of the signals to be transferred.
The above mentioned objects have been achieved by a slanted connector of the initially defined kind, which is characterised by
a first part comprising the first connector means;
a second part comprising the second connector means and being connectable to the first connector means, the second part having a bent form in order to engage the first connector means in a first direction and provide the second connector means protruding in at least one second direction slanted to the first direction, the second part having a circuit pattern to connect the first connector means to the second connector means.
This slanted connector is much easier and faster to produce than the ones used today since the connector means does not need to be bent. Therefor also the exactness in the positions of the second connector means is improved and the risk for cracks in the pins is eliminated.
The objects have also been achieved by a method of the initially defined kind, which is characterised by the following steps:
creating a first part of the connector comprising the first connector means;
creating a separate second part of the connector comprising the second connector means, the second part having a bent form and receiving means for receiving the first connector means along the first direction and having the second connector means protruding in at least one wanted slanted direction, the second part connecting electrically the receiving means with the second connector means;
mounting the second part on the first part by connecting the first connector means to the receiving means;
placing the second connector means on a printed circuit board and soldering the connector to the printed circuit board.
This method for mounting does not include any bending of the connector means and therefor the mounting is quick and easy and the end positions of the second connector means will be more exact than in today existing slanted connectors.
Preferably the second part is a bent printed circuit board having the circuit pattern as a printed pattern.
Suitably the second connector means are adapted to be connected to a printed circuit board.
The second part comprises advantageously two plates, one first plate and one second plate, integrally connected and angled to each other.
Preferably the first plate is provided with through holes for the first connector means to fit into.
The second plate could be provided with through holes for the second connector means to fit into. Otherwise the second connector means could be integrally connected to the second plate, the second connector means being covered with a conducting cover.
Suitable the angle between the first plate and the second plate is a right angle, this implying that the angle between the first connector means and the second connector means is right.
The second part could preferably comprise conductors, each conductor connecting at least one of the first connector means to at least one of the second connector means.
Suitably all the conductors have the same length because if the conductors have the same length there is no problem with the time shift of the signals to be transferred as mentioned above.
The second part could be built up as a multilayer printed wiring board, having more than one layer, each layer containing at least one of the conductors.
Preferably the first part comprises a frame to receive the first connector means in supporting through holes providing a firm grip around each first connector means to keep them in a fixed relationship to each other, each connector means protruding from the frame a distance long enough to make electrical contact with through holes in the second part, when the first and second parts are mounted to each other.
The frame comprises suitably at least one guiding pin protruding from the connector in the same direction as the second connector means but a greater distance. This at least one guiding pin guides the connector to the right position when mounted on a circuit board.
The frame could comprise a cap for a robot to grab for automatic mounting of the connector on the circuit board.
Preferably the frame and the second part, besides the conductors are made of an insulating material.
The number of first connector means and the number of second connector means is preferably the same. This implies that one first connector means corresponds to one second connector means.
A component could be provided on the second part, the component being connected to one or more of the conductors. The component could for example be a delay unit, which controls the transferring time of the signals.
The second plate can comprise two plates integrally connected and angled to each other, this implying that the outgoing pins are protruding in two different directions.
The angle between the first plate and the second plate could differ from 90xc2x0.